Apparatus for recovering values from sand or dirt.



.No. 768,624. PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904.

G. G. POPPENBERG, DEGD.

O. I. POPPBNIBBBG, ADIINISTRATRIX.

APPARATUS FOR REGOVERINGVALUES FROM SAND 0R DIRT. I

, APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, 1904.

no MODEL. 7 7 I aura-sum 1.

. v PATENTED AUG. 30, .1904. c. G.- POPPENBERG, DBGD. 0. I. POPPBNBERG, ADMINISTRATBIX. APPARATUSPOR'REOOVERING VALUES FROM SAND 0R DIRT.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

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QOOOOOOOOOQO oooooooooo'oo .No. 38,624. I PAT-BNTED AUG. so, 1904.

' c. G. POPPENBBRG, DEOD.

O. M. POPP-ENBERG, ADMINISTRATRIX.

APPARATUS FOR REOOVERING VALUBS PROM SAND OR DIRT.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, 1904.

I s MEETS-SHEET 8.

N0 MODEL.

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| In 21m if WW v g qwwheooao f avwm/Ljroz W4 Elfiomwg UNITED STATES Patented August 30, 19041 P TENT OFFIC TRIX OF CORNELIUS Gr. POPPENBERQ'DECEASED. I

APPARATUS FOR RECOVERING VALUES FROM SAND 0R DIRT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No 768,624, dated August 30, 1904. Application filed April 2, 1904:. Serial No. 201,344. (No model.)

1'0 a. whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that CoRNEIiIUs Gr. PorrEN BERG, deceased, late a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brainerd,in the county of Crow Wing and State of Minnesota, during his lifetime invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Recovering Values from Sand or Dirt, and that 1, CHAR- LOTTE M. PQPPENBERG, residing at Brainerd, Minnesota. administratrix of the estate of the said CORNELIUS G. POPPENBERG,-ClOl1GI'eby declare, to the best of my knowledge and belief, thatthe following specification, taken in con nection with the drawings forming part of the same, is a clear, true, and complete description of said improvements.

The invention pertains to apparatus for recovering gold from sand, dirt, and gravel, and it contemplates the provision of an apparatus which is possessed of high capacity when used for handling either wet or dry sand, dirt, or gravel andone Which is so constructed that it may be quickly and easily supplied with quicksilver and as quickly and easily cleaned up'z'. a, cleared of quicksilver and the gold amalgamated therewith. v

I The invention will be fully understood-from the following'descri 'ition and claims, when taken in connection with the accompanying.

drawings, forming part of this specification, in wl11chv .7 I

Flgure lis a vertical longitudinal central section of the apparatus constituting the preferred embodiment of the invention. 1 ,F-igl2 is a detail section taken at right angles to Fig. 1 and illustrating the disposition of the vertical series of quicksilver-holdersand the air;

chamber above the same Fig. 3 is'an inve rt-' ed plan, vlew of the air-chamber, illustrating the apertures in the bottom thereof- Fig.1 4-

is a detail section taken at right angles to Fig. 1 and illustrating the arrangement of the hopper comprised in the apparatus on the side walls of the casing. Fig.- 5 is atop plan view of the apparatus with the hopper removed and a portion of the grate broken away,an'd Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectiontaken on the line 6 6 of Fig. l and partly broken away.

, Similar letters designate corresponding receptacles 11, having drain-cocks j.

' of the casing.

site end is left open, as indicated by c, for a V purpose presently pointed out; The side walls of the casing comprise upper permanentlyfixed portions f and lower removable panels g. The said panels g, which are best shown in Figs. 2 and 6, are provided with hollow pro- 5 jections 7, provided at their lower ends with Said panels are providedin their ends with horizontal notches is, designed to receive haspsZ on the corner-posts of the casing. These 7 hasps have apertures to receive taper keys 127,, through the medium of which the panels. g may be tightly forced against the corner-posts When desired, each of the taperkeys may be provided in its lower portion with an apertureto receive a lock, as shown in Fig. 2, this in order to prevent an unauthorized person from removing the panels, and thereby gaining access to the quicksilver-holders and the'values therein.

' B B are uprights, preferably of metal, fixed ,in the-upper portion of the casing A. These uprights are provided with inclined notches n and are designed to support a grate C, and

a screen D disposed below the grate after the 5 manner best shown in Fig. 1 The grate O preferably comprises side bars p,which terminate at their rear'ends in'handles q, crossrods 0", which terminate at their ends in projections 3, designed to be seated in notches of 9 the uprights B, and bars t, which are of a less height than the side bars 12 in about the proportion shown in Fig. l and are held a suitable distance apart on the rods 1 through the medium of s'pacing-blocksu. (Best shown in Figs. 1 and 5.) The said grate C maybe fixed at various angles of inclination in the uprights B, so asto regulate the flow or passage of the material fed to the apparatus, and it is l designed to permit sand and other fine particles, together with water, to pass to the screen I), while causing rocks and other large particles to pass to the upper spout c and out of the apparatus. In this connection it may be said that the spouts c (6 may lead independently to one or more points of discharge or may be connected with a launder, as desired, Without departure from the scope of the invention.

The screen 1) preferably comprises side bars '0, which terminate at their rear ends in handles, cross-rods w, which terminate at their ends in projections in, Fig. 5, designed to be seated in notches of the uprights B, and a screen y, which may be of any desired mesh, arranged between the side bars and above the cross-rods and connected to the same. Said screen 1) has for its purpose to permit sand and other fine particles, together with water, to pass through it to the amalgamating means hereinafter described and at the same time conduct such large particles as it receives from the grate C to the discharge-spout 0.

As best shown in Fig. 1, the front and rear walls of the casing A are provided with steps 2, which have for their purpose to support quicksilver-holders E. The said holders E may have depressions of any suitable form in their upper sides for the reception of quicksilver without involving a departure from the scope of the invention. It is preferred, however, to have each of the holders comprise a rectangular frame a, Fig. 6, having shallow channels in its upper side and also having lugs b on its ends and lugs c on its sides, and basins d on the sides of the frame and in communication with the channel thereof,.said basins having drain-cocks e and cross-bars f interposed between the side bars of the frame and having channels in communication with that of the frame It is also preferred to have the channels or pockets of each holder of concave form in cross-section and to provide the same with walls which terminate in sharp edges g, Fig. 1. It is preferred to have the pockets or channels of concave form, since when quicksilver is placed therein it will assume a rounded shape, and consequently sand and other dirt will pass freely over the quicksilver, while the values in the sand will amalgamate with the quicksilver. The sharp edges on the walls of the pockets or channels are preferable, because they present no support on which sand or dirt can collect and clog up the apparatus. When the quicksilver-holders are placed in the casing, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 6, it will be observed that the lugs b of the holders will .bear on the ledgesz of the casing and the lugs 0 will bear against the inner sides of the casing-panels g, this being advantageous, since the outer sides of the holders are held away from the casing, and hence sand or other dirt and water may freely pass down I through the spaces between the holders and the casing. As shown in Fig. 2, the holders E are alternately pitched transversely of the apparatus in opposite directions, this in order that when it is desired torecovcr the values each of the holders may be expeditiously drained into the next lower holder and the lowermost holder may be drained into the basins i at the lower ends of the hollow projections 71 on the panels F, Figs. 1 and 1, is a hopper arranged on the side walls of the casing A and adapted to be adjusted on said side walls or fixed thereto, desired. Said hopper open at its bottom and is provided at that point with a hinged valve Gr, having a handle Hand designed to be secured in its closed position through the medium of a pivoted catch 1, as shown by full lines in Fig. 1. The said valve G is heavier than its handle, and from this it follows that when the catch 1 is disengaged from the valve the latter will assume the position shown by dotted lines in said figure, so as to permit the sand or dirt and the water received in the hopper to pass to the grate (l.

J, Figs. 1 and 3, is an air-chamber fixed in the casing above the plurality of quicksilverholders. This chamber has a central opening for the downward passage of dirt and wafer, and it also has its upper side inclined, as indicated by 79', so as to deflect the dirt or sand and water to the center of the quicksilverholders. and is further provided with minute apertures q in its under side and a hollow portion '1", which extends across the said central opening and is provided in its under side with minute apertures s. \Vhen air or other fluid under pressure is supplied to the chainber J, the same will obviously pass in the form of jets downwardly against the quicksilver-l'iolders and by so doing will subject the sand or dirt to pressure and will scatter and force the same on the quicksilver and through the a iiparatus.

For the purpose of assuring the sand or dirt and the values therein passing over each of the cross-bars of each holder E incident to the downward passage of such sand or dirt the cross-bars of the holders are arranged rela tively, as shown in Fig. l that is to say, the crossbar of each holder is disposed in vertical alinement with the spaces between the cross-bars of the holder or holders next to it. From this it follows that when sand passes off of the cross-bars of one holder E it will drop into the pocket or channel in a cross-bar of the holder next below. For the purpose of facilitating and guiding the sand in the course described each of the cross-bars is provided with depending flanges r, as shown in Fig. 1. \Vhen desired, the said flanges may obviously be omitted from the lowermost holder E without affecting the efiicieney of the apparatus.

K K are rectangular deflectors fixed in the casing below the upper holdersE and having for their purpose to guide the sandflor dirt and water which passes over thesides of each holder to the next holder below; L, a rectangular deflectorarranged below and adapt-- S, and also having regulating-valves T. The] branch Q is obviously for the purpose of supplying fluid under pressure to the chamber J, from whence the same passes to serve the function before described. The fluid under pressure conducted to the'mouth of the spoutd' serves to accelerate passage of dirt, &c;, from the apparatus through the spout (Z, while the branch S is designed for the connection of a hose, (not shown,) which may be used to advantage in cleaning the apparatus.

The sandor dirt from which values are to be recovered maybe fed to the hopper F of the apparatus by any suitable means without involving departure from the scope of the invention. From the said hopper the sand or dirt,.togeth er with the water, pass to the grate C, where the finer particles and the water are separated from" large rocks and the like, and

the latter are conducted out of the apparatus through the'spout 0. The fine particles and the water pass through the screen D andthe opening in the chamber J, and when they reach the quicksilver-holders E are subjected to a blast or blasts of air from the chamber in the manner and for the purpose before de scribed. The values in the sand or dirt will amalgamate with the quicksilver in the holders E; while the sand and the water will pass through the series of quicksilver-holders into the basin M and from thence through the spout d out of the apparatus. Any-quicksilver which maybe spilt from the holders E will be caught in the basin M and may be readily drawn therefrom through the cock N. When it is desired to recover. the collected values from the apparatus, the same may be' readily accomplished by removing one of the panels g'of the casing A, withdrawing the holders E one by one from the casing, and

brushing the quicksilver and the values amal gamated therewith from the holders into a pan or other receptacle through the medium' While the holders are removed from the casing they may be readily replenished'with quicksilver and may then be as'r'eadily replaced in thecasing fora subsequent operation of the apparatus. It is also to be understood that particularly when'the holders E of the construction'shown are employed the quicksilver and the values amalgamated'therewith may be readily withdrawn by opening the'several drain-cocks 7b of the holders and the drain-cocks y'of the basinsz', so as to permit the quicksilver and values to pass from thejlatter into suitable receptacles.

In practice the pockets or channelsof the quicksilver-holders, which may be of the shapeshown or any other suitable shape in crosssection, are preferably lined with tin, so that the quicksilver will tend to stick to the same.

'VVhen the novel apparatus is used to han dle dry sand or dirt without the assistance of air or water, the basin M is removed,'soas to 'permitthe sand to drop from the apparatus to the ground, Also when the apparatusis so used the best results are attained by employing quicksilver pockets or channels closer together than those illustrated, this because the surface quicksilver will be round on top, so that when the'sand drops thereon it will quickly roll ofi",,while the values in the sand will amalgamate with the quicksilver.

A detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement ofthe parts embraced in the presentand preferred embodi ment of the invention has beenentered into in 'order to impart a full, clean and eXactunderstanding of the same. It is not, desired, however, to confine the invention to such specific construction and relative arrangementof parts, as such changes or modifications may be made in practice as fairly fall within the I scope of the invention as claimed. c

Having described the invention, what is' claimed, and desired to, be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus for recovering values; y from sand and dirt, the comblnation of a cas ing, a plurality of quicksilver-holdersan ranged one above the other,'and having die; pressions provided with sharp edges, and

spaces betweensaid depressions forthedown-J ward passage of sand ordirt, means .for sup:

porting the holders in .the casing in such manher that spaces are formed between the sides Q of the holders and the'casing for the downward passage of sand or dirt, and deflectors; arranged below the upper holders so as are ceive sand or dirt from the said spaces and con duct the same to the next lower holder.

2. In an. apparatus for recovering valuesfrom sand and dirt, the combination of a casing, a plurality of quicksilverrholders 'ar ranged one above the other in the casing, and having connected channels provided with sharp edgesand spaces between said channels, and also having depending flanges atthe sides of the spaces, means for supporting the hold; ers in the casing so as to afford spaces between"- the holders and the casing, anddefle'ctors ar ranged below the holders so as to receive fromthe spaces between the holders and the casing.

'3. In an apparatus for recovering valuesfrom sand and dirt, a plurality ofquicksilveh holders arranged oneabove'the other, andrespectively comprising a frame havingachan- IOC posite sides thereof bearing on the ledges of the opposite casing-walls, and also having lugs on their other sides bearing against the other walls of the casing, whereby spaces are formed between the sides of the holderor holders and the walls of the casing.

5. In an apparatus for recovering values from sand or dirt, the combination of a casing having a discharge-spout d, one or more quicksilver-holders arranged in the casing, a chamber arranged above said holder or holders,

and provided in its under side with a plurality of discharge-apertures, and a conduit connected with said spout and said chamber, and adapted to be connected with asource of fluidpressure supply.

6. In an apparatus for recovering values from sand or dirt, the combination of a casing having upper and lower discharge-spouts, a basin communicating with the lower discharge-spout, and having a drain-cock, one or more quicksilver-holders arranged in the easing above the basin, a chamber arranged in the casing above the holder or holders; said chamber being provided in its under side with a plurality of minutedischarge-apertures, and being also provided with a central opening and an inclined wall extending to the same, a conduit for conducting fluid under pressure to the chamber, a screen disposed above the chamber, and inclined so as to discharge large particles into the upper discharge-spout, a grate disposed above the screen and inclined so as to discharge rocks and other very large particles into the upper discharge-spout, and a hopper arranged on the casing, above the grate, and having a hinged valve, and a catch for holding the same in a closed position.

7. In an apparatus for recovering values from sand or dirt, the combination of a casing having removable panels provided with projections, closed at their upper endsand having drain-cocks at their lower ends, and removable quicksilver-holders arranged in the easing one above the other and having depressions in their upper sides, and also having basins communicating with said depressions, disposed in the hollow projections of the panels, and provided with drain-cocks.

8. In an apparatus for recovering values from sand or dirt, the combination of a casing having a discharge-spout at one end, a pair of uprights arranged in the casing adjacent to the discharge-spout, and having inclined notches at intervals of their height, a pair of uprights arranged in the casing remote from the discharge-spout, and having inclined notches at intervals of their height, a, screen inclined downwardly toward and arranged to discharge at one end into the spout, and having projections disposed in notches of the uprights, and a grate arranged above the screen and inclined downwardly toward and arranged to discharge into the spout, and having projections disposed in notches of the uprights.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLOTTE M. lOIllliBlllHl, Adm'i'ntstrutwkv 0f the estate of Cornelius G. Pup

penbev'g. deceased.

Witnesses:

W. A. FLEMING, J. T. SANBORN. 

